Governor Gianforte visits Malta as a part of his 56 County tour

Montana Governor Greg Gianforte made a few stops around the City of Malta last Friday, April 29, as a part of his 56 county tour around the state of Montana.

"It is great to be back up here on the Hi-Line, back in Phillips County, and this is one of my favorite spots," Gov. Gianforte told the PCN.

The governor's visit was highlighted by a breakfast at Northwest Realty & Auction featuring business owners from Phillips County, many of which came back home to raise their families. It also featured a stop to Family Matters, a small business that thrived despite the COVID-19 shutdown in 2020.

One night prior, Gov. Gianforte's first stop in Malta was a quiet one; a viewing of the Inn at Simanton Square, which was recently designated as a spot on the National Registry of Historical Places.

"I was so impressed with what Scott and Gina Simanton have done with keeping the history in that building," Gov. Gianforte said. "The mercantile on the first floor. The way that they have restored the second floor for accommodations while keeping the history."

Gov. Gianforte was impressed that the Inn at Simanton Square rooms paid tribute to their original uses, like the Bureau of Land Management Room, a room where the original Malta BLM existed.

On Friday morning, Gov. Gianforte's first stop was at the Northwest Realty & Auction building for a breakfast that featured over 20 people ranging from business owners to locally elected officials, including Senator Mike Lang (SD17), State Representative Casey Knudsen, and County Commissioner Bruce Christofferson. Lesley Robinson, second vice president of the Montana Stockgrowers Association led the event, which featured introductions from each person present.

The breakfast gave those in the room, many of which have young families, a chance to explain why they moved to Malta, or returned to Malta in recent years.

"We want vibrancy in our rural communities," Gov. Gianforte said. "I was really moved by these young couples that have chosen to come back to Phillips County, and come back to Malta, and raise their children here because of the quality of life.

"This is the vision that we had when I first came to Malta seven years ago and talked about 'Come Home Montana'," Gov. Gianforte continued.

He then pointed to the website named Comehomemontana.com, a site that promotes his Come Home Montana campaign, with a vision that would make generations in Phillips County and the state proud.

"Let's bring our kids and grandkids back," Gov. Gianforte said.

The last stop in the governor's tour of Malta was at Family Matters, where Store Manager and Buyer Avery Sorensen talked about weathering 2020, a year that had a strong effect on businesses throughout the country.

"It was really innovation and passion at Family Matters, downtown in Malta, where they found a way to use Facebook Live to drive traffic," Gov. Gianforte said. "The first time that they tried it, they sold $44,000 of product and they didn't just survive the pandemic, they triumphed through the pandemic, and they are still down here serving the community, and I am so proud of them."

MTN News producer / anchor Tim McGonigal, (KRTV Great Falls and KXLH Helena) was also present during the event. Though McGonigal was born and raised in Helena and has spent a majority of his life in Montana, this was the first time that he had been to Malta or Phillips County.

"It's great!" McGonigal said of Malta. "The people are really nice. I guess I wasn't knowing what to expect. I thought it was going to be cold and windy but today, the day that I am here, it's a nice day. It's nicer here than it is in Great Falls."

He also said that he could feel that there is a great sense of pride in the community of Malta.

McGonigal has been tagging along with Governor Gianforte for a part of his 56 county tour. He started with Gov. Gianforte in Browning last Wednesday. They then went to Chester, then Shelby that same day. The next day, they went to Fort Benton, Havre, Chinook, and Harlem. Friday they visited Malta and then Glasgow. The day after, McGonigal went with the Governor's Communications team to Helena.

"I thought it would be interesting to know more about the Governor but even more so about some of the important stories and things that are happening," McGonigal said. "Whether you agree with him or not, there are some good things that are happening and he has also heard some concerns from people that he will take back, and from what I can see, will work on them."